Maurice Lucas

Maurice Lucas was a professional basketball player in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Player. In 1977, he became an NBA Champion and he is a four-time NBA All-Star. In 1976, he was also named an ABA All-Star. He was also named to the ABA All-Time Team. After he retired, the Portland Trail Blazers retired his jersey number. Number 20 was also retired by the Marquette Golden Eagles, his college team.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Maurice Lucas was born on February 18, 1952, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. He died on October 31, 2010, in Tigard, Oregon. He stood 206 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 98 kg.

High School and College Career

He attended Schenley High School in North Oakland in Pittsburgh where he was named the 1971 Mr. Basketball USA. He later attended Marquette University from 1972 to 1974. While in college, he was named to the Third-team All-American – NABC in 1974.

Professional Career

He started his professional career playing in the American Basketball Association playing for the Carolina Cougars. That was in 1973. In 1974, he was selected by the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association during the 1974 NBA Draft. He chose the ABA over the NBA and played for the Spirits of St Louis, which had replaced the Cougars.

In the ABA, he was named an ABA All-Star in 1979. He was also later named to the ABA All-Time Team.

After the ABA and the NBA merged, Lucas started playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. In 1977, he became an NBA Champion and in the same year along with the Trail Blazers, he was also named an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career that year. He would be named an All-Star again in 1978, 1979, and 1983.
After the Trail Blazers, he played for the New Jersey Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets), New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Seattle Supersonics before he returned to play for the Trail Blazers.

After playing in the NBA, he served as an assistant coach for his former team the Trail Blazers. He coached them during the 1988-1989 season. In 2005, he returned as an assistant coach and served through to the 2009-2010 season after he underwent surgery for bladder cancer.

Career Highlights

• 1977 - NBA champion
• 1977–1979, 1983 - NBA All-Star
• 1976 - ABA All-Star
• 1978 - All-NBA Second Team
• 1978 - NBA All-Defensive First Team
• 1979 - NBA All-Defensive Second Team
• ABA All-Time Team

• No. 20 retired by Portland Trail

Blazers

• 1974 - Third-team All-American –

NABC

• No. 20 retired by Marquette Golden

Eagles

• 1971 - Mr. Basketball USA